I have just recently come across an intriguing novel called
Freehold
by Michael Z. Williamson. The novel is set in a future where the world
and most of its colonies are ruled by the UN. The life of a citizen is
overburdened by regulations, which causes everything to move slowly
and inefficiently. Civil liberties are nonexistent and people find
themselves implanted with computer chips that track their every
movement. Despite the control that the world government has over
citizens, crime is considered a part of everyday life, including rape.

The story begins when Kendra Paceilli, a noncommissioned officer in
the UN Protection Force is accused of a crime she did not commit. Due
to the brutal interrogation of prisoners and the slow pace of the
justice system, Kendra takes it upon herself to escape to the outer
colony known as the Freehold.

The Freehold is an independent colony that is outside the control of
the UN. When she moves into the Freehold she meets Robert McKay, a
veteran of the Freehold Military Services. Kendra also meets Marta
Hernandez, who works as a high-priced escort. During the early part of
her stay in the Freehold, Kendra has to adjust to the culture shock of
individual freedom. In the Freehold society there are no restrictions
on private ownership of firearms and even though crime still exists it
is not the norm. Hallucinogen drugs are sold freely by drink vendors.
Taxation is voluntary. Commerce is unregulated.

What seems to shock Kendra the most is the causal attitude that the
Freehold natives have about sex. The sexual freedom of the Freehold
makes the sexual revolutions of the 1960's and 70's look like the
Victorian era. Public nudity is so common that department stores don't
even bother with dressing rooms. Prostitution is not only legal, but
is also considered to be an honorable profession. Sex is also expected
on a first date.

At first Kendra according to Freehold standards, seems like a prude
when it comes to sex. When she finally adjusts to the culture shock,
Kendra finds herself in bisexual relationship with her new friends
Robert McKay and Marta Hernandez.

During her stay at the Freehold, Kendra worked in the city park
services, but thanks to the sanctions imposed by the UN, she found
herself laid off from her job. She later decides to enlist in the
Freehold's military. One of the weakest points of the book is the
excessive amount of detail about the training that Kendra had to
endure. Since Williamson has a military background, I suppose he
wanted to make sure that the training sequence was as authentic as
possible. That is certainly understandable; however the detail was a
little redundant.

Not too long after Kendra's training the UN uses various forms of
underhanded tactics to provoke a war with the Freehold. Eventually the
UN gets their wish, but they soon learn that the conquest of the
Freehold doesn't come cheap. Even though the UN has the numbers on
their side, the Freehold forces fight viciously through the use of
guerrilla warfare to repel their invaders.

One of Williamson's strengths is that he does not glamorize the
reality of war. He shows war for what it is; brutal, horrific and
tragic. Williamson didn't even try to sugarcoat it. He even shows how
war can bring out the worst in the best people. Even Kendra finds
herself torturing and killing enemy prisoners.

Even though the good guys get the upper hand, the ending is far from
glamorous. The main characters, Kendra, Robert and Marta find
themselves traumatized physically and mentally by the brutal reality
of war. Another tragic outcome was the series of nuclear attacks that
cost the lives of billions of civilians on earth. Even though the
people of the Freehold were able to beat back the UN forces, they knew
that they wouldn't be able to withstand another attack. The leaders of
the Freehold decided that the only way that they could ensure victory
was by counter attacking with nuclear weapons.

By now, you are probably wondering why I chose to review a book that
has been out since 2004. That was when I first heard about the book,
but it wasn't until a year ago that I finally got around to reading
it. Even though it was a decent book, the ending seemed unsettling. I
know that war is hell and that moral concepts such as the Zero
Aggression Principle don't always apply. However, I found it difficult
to get pass the billons of noncombatants that were killed. This was
one of the reasons why I was compelled to write this review. Is it
acceptable to kill billons of civilians in the name of freedom? It
seems to me that the Freehold forces became just as bad as their
enemies. This was one of the things that made the victory over the UN
seem hollow.

Despite the excessive amount of detail regarding Kendra's military
training and the questionable ending, the book was excellent.
Williamson made the Freehold society believable by not portraying it
as a utopia. The Freehold may have been the freest society, but it was
far from perfect. The colony still had its share of snake oil salesmen
and conmen that never hesitated to prey on the innocent. Poverty still
existed. Corporations in the Freehold unfortunately were not that
different from what we have in our society. That is how I always
pictured a truly free society. As imperfect as the Freehold may be, I
would take it over any society that we have now.